The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-24

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some inquiry as TO the increased indebt-
edness of the State, that in ten minutes
time | could make negro understand
1t. From the statement Just made.
which | affirm is correct, from the
Ireasu-er's books, the people failed to
payinto theState Treasury by S766, ,9S2. 75
as much as they paid during the same
period previous to 1882. If the same
amount had been paid in for the years
mentioned your treasury to-day would
be oyerflowing, and it would not have
been necessary for a single bond to have
been sold. That the people of the State
may fully understand our system of
taxation, as well as our financial condi-
tion, | addressed letter on the 2Sth of
July, to the Hon. w. w. Stone, Audi
tor, TO furnish the Executive Depart
ment, having the counties to come in
phabetically, the amount of taxes
paid during the last fiscal year by each
county for the support of the State gov
| ernment, and the amount of money
returned TO the several counties by the
State Treasurer. and received from him
the following letter:
Robert lowry, Governor;
Dear Sir-In reply to your request of
July q, 1887, to furnish the Executive
| Department, having the counties to come
| alphabetically, the amount OF taxes paid
the last fiscal year by each county for the
support of the State government, and the
amount of money returned to the several
counties by the State Treasurer, herewith
hand you tabulated statement by counties
of amounts received in 1856, on account of
taxes, real and personal, privileges and
| licenses TO retail, and total of same,
Il
| county in 1856, on account of the common
school fund comprised of the last semi
annual distribution for 1856, Chickasaw
school fund interest, and railroad tax 1886,
| this tax was collected in 1886, but too
| late for distribution, and was distributed in
January, 1851 This statement also shows
excess by counties of receipts in State
treasury, and excess by counties OF dis
bursements paid to counties. Hoping this
will prove satisfactory, l am, very re-
| specially,
| W. w. STONE, Auditor.
| This statement demonstrates the fact
that thirty-eight counties leave in the
State treasury, over and above what they
receive back in the way of school fund,
railroad tax, etc, 81 49, ,926.56.
Now, then, fellow citizens, you Will be
astonished and surprised when | say to
you that you have many counties in the
State that do not pay one nickle to the
support of the State government. In
other words, they get more back than
they pay in. But two days ago | was
talking to distinguished gentleman
from one of the counties of the State,
and while upon the subject of taxation
said to him: ''Do you know what
amount your county pays for the sup
port of your State government? He
replied that he did not. | said: at
pays not one penny" The gentleman
was profoundly astonished, and inquired
how it was possible that this could be so.
In this connection | read few days ago
a stupid article from the pen of a Stub
ber-degullion that the people were bowed
with taxation-that they were ground
to death by reason of having to support
an extravagant government-and yet the
facts remains that in large number of
the counties of the State-counties that
are wealthy and prosperous-not one
dime do they pay for the support of the
State government. Not one picayune
of State taxes do they pay. True it is,
they pay it with one hand and take it
out with the other. You will no doubt
be startled and surprised when you are
told that forty-six counties in the State
pay othing for thessupport OF the State
| government. 1t then follows that
whatever others may have to say, these
forty-six counties cannot complain, mas
much as they pay no State taxes.
1 said that it was proper that the
people of the State should understand
their system of taxation and its results.
Those important things they cannot
learn from the little gad-fly upstarts
who seek with their little narrow infor-
nation to inject their little opinions in
governmental matters. But to get the
information accurately they must seek
| it where it is to be found. Then you
will remember that previous to 1882 you
were appropriating under the Constitu
| ton and by law, various funds to the
common schools. In 1882, when | was
inducted into Office, the taxes were not
only reduced from 4 to . mills, but
| law was passed apprOprlating an addi-
tional 100000 TO the common schools;
that is to say: If the common school
| fund did not reach $500 900, then a
sufficient amount should be taken from
| the general fund to make up this de-
| ficiency, about $510, 900 since 1881, and
| it follows that when you appropriate the
pro rata share of the school fund to the
several counties that it aggregates more
in connection with the railroad tax than
| such counties pay into the State treasury.
While on the subject Of taxation, you
have it stated by these objectors who are
speaking of the extravagant State gov
ernment, that the taxes were very high.
| Let me tell you about the State tax on
| 800 in the several Southern States.
Mississippi pays less State tax than any
| Southern State, save two, Louisiana and
Maryland, and that is caused by reason
of the difference In the school fund.
| On 500 Alabama pays So cents; Arkan-
sas, 40 cents; Florida, 40 cents; Ken
| lucky, 524 cents; Louisiana, 10 cents
Maryland, 182 cents; Mississippi, until
1887, % cents; Missouri, 40, North
Carolina, 374; South Carolina, SIS;
Texas, 40; Virginia, 40; West Vir-
ginia, So; Georgia 80; Tennessee, 40.
Then, if we are to judge of things
by comparison, Mississippi should
be satisfied with her taxes. Missis
sippi owes less State debt than any
Southern State except Florida, and per
haps, Kentucky. And just here | desire
to state that the revenue laws of our
State demand earnest and effective re-
vision. There should be uniformity,
not only in the assessed value of proper
| ty in counties, but in counties as COM
pared to each other, and / submit that
the fault-fnders of your government, if
they have capacity to conceive and digest
a plan that would give fair assessments,
| they would have done some service,
which would be something new in their
histories But | must not weary you,
for the several tables submitted gives
full information on the subjects to which
they refer | wish to be understood as
saying that the comparisons before made
and hereafter to be made touching the
expense in the several departments of
| the government where they have been
reduced during my term of service is not
| to reflect upon the previous admlnistra-
| ton, for where such differences occur
am sure there was good and substantial
reason for them. As private citizen
indorsed the previous administration,
and / lndorse it to-day.
/ With this explanation state that the
legislative department for 1876-77-7S-80
averaged $92, ,537 33. For 1882 -84-86
the average was 1875 98, the differ
ence being in favor of the latter years,
S43, ,944 05. (See Treasrrer's reports for
the above years.) The expenditures of
the lunatic asylum at Jackson have
been largely reduced during the last
five years, for which see Treasurer's re-
port The expenditures of the judicial
department have been very largely re-
duced during the past five years, say
$50, ,601 90. The amount paid for pub
lie printing has been largely reduced
during the past five years. The reason
for suck reductions is apparent when
the items are looked into. In other
words, there were expenditures in for